Graveyard Dancing
by SempiternalDreamer
Summary: Two years of his sudden disappearance and Maka still refused to let him go. Even if he had become a story to tell at camp fires. Even if he became a main attraction for a haunting scare on Halloween. What Maka needed was to meet him again, whether he was dead or alive.
1. Chapter 1

A released breath pasted fog along the window.

No sounds were heard other than the light breaths he released. It was always silent, and every moment of it was filled with well-respected peace. He looked afar to the field of graves beyond the property. Fog enlightened the dried trees of autumn, and coldness stung at the air.

"Forty two... Forty two... Five six four." His voice came out hollow and with distaste.

"Again?" A warmer voice called from behind. "You do this every year."

"Only two. Do not exaggerate. They will come like always, and they will leave with a fright, like always. It's what they ask for isn't it?"

"I think you just need to show yourself already..."

He gave no reply and instead stared out the window gathered in his own thoughts. The sound of her sigh and fading footsteps drew a calmness in him once again.

Silence was all he needed.

'

If Maka wanted to be the laughing stock of the bonfire party, she would've actually accepted the kitty costume her friend Tsubaki had consulted her about.

Instead she decided to go casual and somehow still managed to get the gang laughing unintentionally. Not because of her clothing but because of her shot at a scary campfire story.

"C'mon Maka, that's so not cool. You can do better than that can't ya?"

"Yeah that was almost as lame as Soul's basketball score yesterday!"

"Oi, you cheated if I recall!"

"Cheat? Don't you call me a cheater! I never cheat!"

Maka rolled her eyes along with her friend Tsubaki, watching as Soul and Black*Star continued to bad mouth each other as always.

The four teens had been out since evening. A campfire was their usual routine just before the day of Halloween. However, any good campfire requires a great story. But let's just say, the scariest it got was Black*Star's recollection of losing his pants after gym class.

"You guys cut it out or I'll put a book to your head." Maka groaned.

"Hey, you're the one who told the lame story about, whatever his name is." Soul grunted.

"Kharon."

"Yeah whatever that dude's name is. How is he even scary anyway?"

"He leads souls into the underworld you idiot!"

"That isn't scary Maka."

Maka slumped her shoulders with a heavy sigh. "You know Soul, I haven't heard you tell a good story. So how about ya get to it and make me fall asleep?"

Soul scanned his eyes along his three friends and eventually took a breath. "Alright. We all know the old mansion near the graveyard right? The Gallows property?"

"Well duh Soul, it's the most talked about place during Halloween. How could we not know?

"Alright well, there's a rumor that spread two years back."

"You mean about-," Black*Star started but Soul put a hand to his mouth.

"Sh! This is my story." Soul cleared his throat and continued. "Anyway, there's a rumor that spread that apparently the family living there were psychotics. Their entire home was surrounded by hundred year old graves, outlined by horrendous guillotines and finished off with gallows. Not to mention the inside had hell written all over it." Soul took off his headband and twirled it around his finger.

"The head of the show, the old father that oddly went by Death right? The guy apparently wasn't a good father. His first son was banished off after committing murders. We all know that story because it was true. Death let his son go to prison all because he raised a psychotic. Well what people don't really pay attention to, was the second kid. This kid was Death's pride and joy. The spoiled brat had a mansion all to himself and even his own respect from the city people. Because he was considered the *normal* one out of the bunch."

Maka watched how the fire reflected in Soul's maroon eyes. She knew exactly who he was talking about, but that was her own treasured secret.

"Well what happened was that this kid suffered serious issues with both himself and his father. Obviously the dude was always alone while his good Ol' father was off at work all the time. So his father invited these two chicks to stay with him."

"Sounds like this guy was more than lucky to me." Black*Star grunted.

"I'd say the same thing, but these two chicks were actually cold killers that grew up on the streets. What idiot invites more insanity to his home right? Anyway, so the kid eventually disappeared from the city. No one saw him walking around anymore or even heard one word from him. He was gone. And the thing is, the mansion was emptied out of its inhabitants just days after his disappearance. It is said that they all turned on each other. They all murdered each other. But no evidence was ever found..."

Black*Star was first to break the silence. He crackled a laugh and pointed at Soul. "What, was that supposed to scare me? Ahahaha!"

"Hey I ain't finish yet!"

Maka sighed and put another marshmallow on her stick. "What's next? You're gonna tell us that this family haunts the mansion?"

"Why, that's the best part." Soul showed off a toothy grin. "You all know how adults don't even dare go in there. It's because every Hallows Eve, the ghost of Death's boy appears at the windows. Every foot you step inside is cold and terrifying, filling you with a fear that crawls its way into your head. They say you begin to hallucinate and see people murdering each other. You hear the shouts from the torture of their past visitors. Hell, they say you even see the grim reaper coming at you with his blooded scythe, ready to sever your poor little soul. But the scariest part, comes from the curse. This is why it is said that those who enter, never come back out. No one leaves the mansion. Because in order to get in you have to write death death murder in numerical form at the door's window. Forty-two, forty-two, five six four. But that's the curse. The person who writes it in, gets hunted down by the boy's ghost and that person will be killed."

Silence proceeded.

Tsubaki nervously scooted closer to Maka who was staring as her marshmallow toasted in the fire. Even Black*Star was silent. It wasn't until a strange choking sound came from Soul that everyone looked up to see him fall onto his back.

"Ahahahahahaha! Oh you guys, I got you all good didn't I!?" Soul had a concert of laughter as the rest on the gang stared at him in anger. "Ah, now there's a good story am I right?"

"Dammit Soul shut up!"

Everyone faced a now fired up Maka. Her outburst obviously wasn't a joke because her heated face spoke otherwise. "That's not funny! Don't you know who you're talking about?!"

Soul was filled with confusion. "Yeah, I just told his story didn't I?"

"That's not it you idiot!" Maka stomped her way back to the car.

"What's her deal?"

Soul ran up to Maka to question her. "Are you that scared?" He asked, rather concerned.

"No. Not at all." Maka sighed. She didn't mean to cut the fun, but her happiness was severed down by the simple story her best friend had told.

She just hoped it wasn't true.

* * *

 **A/N: Pretty late for a Halloween fic I know, but I just couldn't resist. Sorry if it is a bit rushed, I wrote this story within three days.**


	2. Chapter 2

The next school day for Maka wasn't enjoyable at the slightest.

Since it was Halloween, everyone was talking about the damn mansion that Soul had talked about the night before. She didn't mean to cut the gathering short. She didn't mean to be such a hothead at lunch either. It was just that Maka couldn't take it anymore.

It had been the same ever since the last two years. The story about the boy who she once could say that she loved. This boy had met her at childhood. But he never went to school and she was only lucky to see him at the local library. But he stopped one day. He failed to keep his promise to her. Two years had passed. Maka had only changed so much. She was now three years into high school. Her hair was longer and brighter, kept into the iconic pig tails which he always enjoyed. Now she only wore them when she felt it was necessary. She had grown up a little. But she never forgot about him.

Because no one would let her forget.

She closed her locker and headed out the school doors, hoping to avoid the others and get home as soon as possible.

Only the loudest of conversations were heard as she walked out.

"We're going tonight. It's the hottest spot around during Halloween."

"No not inside, just at the graveyard. He can't get you if you don't go inside."

"Ooh ghost boy Death, I'm so scared."

Maka tensed and sped up her walk. A hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Slow down there quicksilver." Soul chuckled. "You want a ride? I'm heading by your house anyway so,"

"Gonna help Black*Star with his last minute costume idea?"

"Yeah..." Soul slumped his shoulders.

Maka sighed and nodded. "I could use a ride."

"Good. Because it feels like you've been trying to avoid everyone." Soul took out the keys to his motorcycle and swung them around his finger. "C'mon."

Once Maka made it home, it was no surprise to see her parents arguing over which decorations were scarier.

"Last minute decorations?" Soul asked.

"Yeah. My papa wasn't to ecstatic about decorating so I'm guessing my mom finally forced him into it."

"Your dad is so not cool. Anyway, so you're hanging out with us tonight right? You were really quiet on the way home yesterday and never said anything about today."

"I think so. I just don't have a costume."

"Well neither do I but I do have that scythe in my closet that I made in art class. And well, I already have the look for it."

Maka smiled. "True. But uh, I'll let you know."

"You're never too old for candy Maka. Never too old."

'

It was a scary thought. Call it crazy, insane, maybe even a little mad. But Maka needed to do it.

She awoke from her nap with a thud. Her heart pounded and she heaved heavy breaths.

"Just a dream."

So why had it felt so necessary?

She was at the mansion, inside with nothing but silence. A dimly lit home was all she saw. There was nothing paranormal, just emptiness within the giant household.

Then she saw him...

"I need to go." Maka looked over to the clock. It was barely five in the afternoon.

Walking to the mansion would shed off a little over a half-hour at the most, by foot that is.

Maka threw on a sweater and slipped on some shoes. She couldn't hold back the ambition to see the mansion for herself.

'

"Hey Soul, when is Maka gonna show up?"

Soul put his phone down as an obvious scene of failure. He had been trying to get a hold of the blonde for the last twenty minutes with no luck.

"I really wish I knew. Her weird ass father told me she went to hang out with Tsubaki."

"Really? That's strange." Black*Star slumped down onto the sofa.

"How so?"

"Because Tsubaki just told me that she was with Kim and Jaqueline."

Soul sat up. "Wait what? So Maka's not with them?"

"I dunno, let me ask?" Black*Star began murdering his phone's keyboard.

Soul thought to himself. The last few years of Halloween were always strange when it came to Maka. She always seemed distant and lost. As if she expected something each time Halloween came around.

"Tsubaki says no, Maka ain't with them."

At that, Soul stood up and tried calling Maka once again. But he was delivered the same five rings and the voicemail tone. "Where could she be? I don't get it."

'

Maka could feel the fear trailing all the way from the cemetery. It was chilly and frightening, just the perfect type of cemetery weather.

She just hoped Soul and the others wouldn't catch on. Then again, a part of her wished they would. Maka wasn't sure what she was even doing. She was walking alone in the cold just to see the ghost of her past. A boy who was supposedly dead and now haunting the place he called home.

For it to be true, well, Maka needed to find that out.

The air got thinner as she approached the graveyard. The fog covered the fine stone and dead trees wretched all over the field. Only through the midst of the fog, could the mansions scenery come to vision. The guillotines and gallows did their job of terrifying rather well.

No one from town was around yet, it was still too early for that. So Maka swallowed back her fear and took a step onto the icy grass.

Her old shoes wouldn't keep her much warmth. And by the feel of the air, neither would her sweater. She had to hurry up to the mansion before freezing to death. Honestly, freezing to death at graveyard?

As Soul would say, "That's not cool at all."

She crept along the grass, making sure that she wouldn't be stepping on someone's actual grave. That wouldn't bring up a good feeling. Maka instead kept her green eyes stressed forward and facing nothing but the deathly manor.

 _Am I really doing this? I'm seriously about to go in this place and look for someone who ninety-nine point nine percent isn't there in human or ghost form?_

She sighed.

This boy really wasn't your everyday familiar. He was different. Not in his style of dress or gloomy characteristics, but instead in his person altogether. He never talked for one, he never met with anyone unless to greet them or ask them a question. He was solitary and introverted to the max.

Maka remembered how she had first met him. The library was empty that day, and she had been searching for a biography of Da Vinci for a school project. She had searched all the proper shelves until she gave it a rest and sat down. Then a hand came into her field of view, followed by a thick book sliding to the middle of the table.

The hand had been gilded with a skull ring. She only looked up to find golden spheres staring back at her.

She was the first person whom he had every approached on his own. Since that day, going to the library became a *must* to Maka. She had never endowed in such vigorous conversations and enthusiasm. He was the first person to strike a beautiful emotion in her.

But it all ended. He disappeared. Just as Soul's had told.

Maka stopped just before the stairs that led to the door. She opened her eyes and lifted her head. Windows were broken, spray paint lined the walls, and imperfections scattered along the wood.

She could've sworn that someone was whispering to her now. Something pricked at her back and Maka turned.

Nothing. Her breathing became unsteady.

"Death awaits. Don't hesitate to meet him."

Maka shot her head towards the voice but again, nothing was in sight. She broke down in her head.

The reality of what she was doing finally hit her. She was at a freakin' haunted house all by herself!

Her gaze switched from the door to the stairs and back to the grave yard. If she ran, she would probably be hunted down by some ghost. If she stayed, she would probably be hunted down by another ghost.

"Stupid. Stupid." She planted her hand to her head. "What am I doing? I can't be here, I'm all alone!"

"There's no turning back."

The whisper again. Maka hugged her arms together and scanned her surroundings. Once the heavy gusts of wind began to push through, she resorted to the climb the stairs and get cover.

The door was just a reach away. Her gaze didn't move from it. The scarred wood was aligned with a gilded circle of glass; the window.

Maka recalled what Soul had told in the story. To get in, death death murder had to be written in numeric value.

"Since when do numbers represent words?" Maka knit her eyebrows in confusion. "Wait, Soul said a series of numbers after that." Maka tried to think aloud.

"Forty, forty. Five Six Four?" Maka inhaled and stood tall at the window.

If Soul's story was correct, she would write the curse and be killed by the boy's ghost. But Maka was never really one to believe in a good ghost story. Besides, she came to see this boy. He would remember her without a doubt. Ghost or not.

She wrote in the number sequence only to wait a minute until nothing happened. "I knew Soul was only kidding." Maka reached for the doorknob and turned it.

It didn't turn, and so the door wouldn't open. "What the hell? What kind of door is this?" Maka looked back at her writing in the window. "No. It wasn't just forty." She fogged the window and wrote again. This time inscribing forty-two into the sequence.

It was complete.


	3. Chapter 3

The door opened with a creek. Maka only watched as nothing, not one soul was in her vision. The door had opened on its own, by the number code.

By this time, Maka would've sprinted off back to town. But she had come this far already, and let herself write in the curse. According to Soul's story, she would be hunted down by the boy's ghost… and would be killed.

"As if." Maka shrugged and stepped inside. What she saw was hell.

Red stained the torn wallpaper and gritty floor. Tables and broken furniture decorated the gray tile, nothing could get through without a fall. Writing was on the walls. Thick heavy red writing, and the dragging marks that rode along was proof of a kidnapping. The strangest part of it all, was the dead silent and smell of vanilla.

Maka wasn't comfortable hearing her own quickened heartbeat. She had never felt so alone before in her life. Was it a hallucination?

She hadn't moved from the doorstep. In fact, right as she thought about leaving, the door shut with a lock.

"No!" Maka slammed herself against it and tried to open the lock. The fear finally caved in and Maka lost control of her breathing. "Dammit let me go! Please I don't-,"

The first sound killed her shouting. It was the sound of laughter. Dry chuckles which echoed into a psychotic outburst.

Maka planted herself against the door.

"I am the ghost in the shadows..."

 _Again with that voice_. Maka thought to herself. "W-Who are you?"

"The fear of the dark."

"What? What do you mean? Show yourself." Maka clutched at the doorknob and tried twisting it again. No luck.

"You can't escape me. No one can. No one has." The words echoed along the hall. "There's no other creature as foul as I."

"Show yourself already you coward!"

"You're quite enthusiastic aren't you? Let's change that."

Maka searched for the owner of the voice. Whether it was a ghost or human or whatever. She just didn't expect for everything to go black. She was awake however, and it took her only a moment to realize that the house had completely darkened. She pressed herself harder against the door, hoping that the pressure would somehow force it open.

"Forty two. Forty two. Five six four." The voice scratched its way into Maka's mind, breaking into a horrendous laugh at the end.

"Stop! Let me go damn you! I need light... It's too dark." Maka felt herself breaking into fear once more, this time harder and stronger.

"The darker, the better. It makes my skin crawl."

She trembled. Maka felt her legs on the verge of giving out. The sight of small fires lighting up on the far walls startled her. But Maka rushed over to the closest one and took hold. She turned in all directions in attempt to find the owner of the voice. But she had no luck.

He didn't speak again, and so Maka made a horrible decision of walking down the hall. She avoided the broken chairs and glass until she was staring at a set of stairs.

'

"Do you really think she would come here all by herself?"

Soul bent down to see a fresh footprint in the grass which lead forward to more prints. "If this isn't Maka's footprint, then I dunno who that is. But someone is definitely here."

"It's freezing here." Tsubaki shivered where she stood.

"Who cares let's go!" Black*Star was the first to take off.

Soul and Tsubaki shrugged and walked on after him. The fog made it hard to see. Soul couldn't tell where they were heading because the mansion was hidden well behind the icy mist.

"Soul are you sure we should be here?"

Soul didn't realize how terrified he felt until he saw the look on Tsubaki's face.

"Ha! What are you scared Tsubaki? As long as I'm here there's no need to worry."

"Agreed. Maybe the ghosts will take the high pride of the group first." Soul's comment was sarcastic, but dry.

They walked on until they were able to see the tall guillotines of the mansion.

"Damn. You weren't kidding when you told that story huh?" Black*Star mentioned.

"No, I wasn't. And if Maka's here, we have to stop her from getting inside."

"How do you know she's not already in there?"

Soul halted and faced Tsubaki and Black*Star for a second before he took off running toward the manor. The two followed behind and the full view of the manor came into clear vision.

Soul reminisced on the new details. The old gate was left swinging open and broken from many areas, most likely from trespassers whom fled for their lives. More graffiti covered the outside and broken windows defeated the old glory of the mansion. It wasn't this bad when he had visited this place two years ago.

Black*Star kicked an emptied bottle along the grass. "This place is a dump."

"Yeah I know. The point is, where the hell is Maka and why would she even come here?" Soul walked up the stairs.

"Hey you're the one who *assumed* she was here dude. What if we came for no reason?"

Soul looked up at the door. "I know she came. Maka gets weird during Halloween and I have a feeling that the ghost boy has something to do with it. Maka gets real quiet when someone talks about him." The white-haired teen walked up and placed a hand to the doorknob. It wouldn't turn in either direction.

"What's that on the window?"

Soul switched his gaze up, suddenly feeling all panic break down in him. "She didn't..." But there it was, the number sequence was written upon the window.

"It's the curse you mentioned in the story." Tsubaki met next to Soul, both feeling utter panic.

"She did. Dammit Maka!"

Black*Star grabbed Soul's shoulder. "Wait, you're telling me that the story you told was true?"

"I-I. I don't know. People say the curse is true but I don't know if that part is true!"

A piercing yell caught everyone's attention. Soul shot his head toward the door. "Maka. Maka!" He looked through the window in attempt to find her.

"That sounded like her. We need to get in!"

"How Star? This thing only opens if-,"

Soul was silenced once Black*Star kicked his leg straight through the door.

"How did you?"

"Years of training in martial arts." Black*Star pulled his leg back and stuck his arm through the hole, opening the door from the inside.

"I didn't know you could kick through solid wood, that's all." Soul rubbed his head and stared inside. The familiarity hit him like lead. He knew this place and it was dreadful knowing that Maka was somewhere in there.

'

Maka managed to make it through the hall of disaster. She was now at the stairs, where they separated to left and right. She wasn't sure if she wanted to continue, and if so, which side she would choose.

A low chuckle was heard and Maka slightly jumped at the sound. It had been quiet enough for the sudden sound to make her yelp. She backed against the wall in search of her target.

Being sucked into the wall was completely unexpected.

"Ah!"

'

Soul took the first step inside. "Maka! Where are you?!"

"Maka!"

"Shorty!"

"Dammit." Soul sped his way across the hall, leaving Black*Star and Tsubaki to trail behind him.

The hall was trashed with all sorts of old junk. He used his phone's flashlight to clear the way. As far as he could see, there was no one around.

"Maka's scream sounded like it came from around here... Maka? Maka!"

"Soul be careful. We don't know anything about this place." Tsubaki urged.

"I do… My brother and I came here once. He and his older friends tricked me into believing that they were killed. But the prank came to an end when the doors locked and the house went dark. We heard dark chuckles and whispers all over the place, but no one was there but us."

Black*Star shoved his hands into his pockets. "So how did you guys get out?"

"We broke a window and ran for our lives. The fog became heavier the faster we ran, but we eventually made it through. The story I told is true based on others experiences as well as mine. I just don't know if the actual curse is true. I didn't hear about the curse til last year… When I came with my brother two years ago, we came inside by just pushing the doors." Soul ran a hand through his hair. "Maka, where the hell are you?"


	4. Chapter 4

Maka peeked open an eye to find herself in a lighter room. The gloomy light from the sky poked in through the several windows that aligned the white walls.

A white piano sat to the side, pure and untouched of any damage. Aside from aligned paintings around the room, the piano was the only object available. It made the room strangely enchanting. Maka felt so peaceful and calm. Except for the fact that she needed to find the owner of the voice.

With a breath, Maka took slow steps toward the piano. She occasionally let her gaze fall to her sides, desperately searching for a sign of life aside from herself.

"Your fear shines bright darling." The voice made the comment so innocent. Still, Maka found it familiar.

"Fear? I'm not scared. I'm sure you're just some psycho who likes to prank people on Halloween."

"Do you not know who you are talking to?"

Maka crossed her arms. "How can I when you refuse to show yourself?"

He chuckled again and Maka found comfort by leaning against the piano. She wouldn't admit her fear but if he was a ghost, she knew he would be able to tell.

"One two three. One two three." A chord was played on the keyboard after the voice spoke, causing Maka to jump a foot away from it.

"Show yourself..." She let out in a desperate whisper.

"Haven't you noticed? I'm right in front of you..." Another chord played.

Maka widened her eyes. No one was there, but the piano keys kept moving with the pace of the rhythm. She knit her eyebrows and stared reluctantly.

"I feel balance is over, the balance is gone." The voice sang and then broke into a small laughter.

"Balance?" Maka questioned to herself. At this point, she knew it was him.

"Why yes of course. The beautiful balance is no longer alive. It has been severed down by years of neglect." At last, a silhouette appeared at the piano, dressed in a black suit. Maka knew the familiar hair and subtle facial features... Or did she?

He stood from the now black piano as the room suddenly darkened. Maka had to blink her eyes out as it had all felt like an illusion. When her vision was back on him, she found that the boy she once knew was long gone.

"It's something you wouldn't understand after all. No one treasures true beauty anymore."

Maka just stared back at the black lines that trailed down across his lips. His hair was scraggy which was completely unlike him. Though it was nothing compared to the soulless eyes which had lost their golden luster. They were dull, lifeless even.

She finally took her gaze away and replied back to the deceiver. "And what makes you think you do? You sit around scaring people shitless on Halloween!"

He released another dark chuckle. "I told you I was foul, did I not?"

"Yeah, you are. What kind of idiot leaves without keeping his promise?!"

He didn't answer, and though Maka refused to direct her eyes at him, she saw the tension that built up in his shoulders from the corner of her eyes.

"Promise? I believe in no such thing." He finally answered.

"No wonder why you're such a wreck."

He chuckled. "You haven't seen a thing about me darling."

The comment lit the angry fire inside of Maka. She thought of a series of replies to yell back at him for being an idiot. But she decided to keep it simple and casually crossed her arms. "Symmetry."

"What?"

Maka replied with a smug grin on her face. If this really was the boy she once knew, there was only one way to get to his heart. "Symmetry."

"Stop saying that. Y-You're not allowed to say that." The boy put a hand to his head in distress.

Maka felt her fire spark as she had finally caught him in her trap. "You told me once, don't you remember? Your dream of reshaping the world in the perfect symmetrical balance that it's supposed to be in. It's your duty." Maka stood taller in order to face him.

"So what happened to you Kid?"

Kid released a pair of breaths and trailed backwards and away from Maka. She didn't know who he was at this moment, or what for that matter. But it seemed as if he was fighting himself.

"S-Stop. There... There is no such thing as symmetry anymore. The balance is gone... Forever."

Maka walked closer. "Why? Who told you that?"

"I don't need to be told when I can see it for myself. Now stay away!"

Maka caught him up against the wall. The boy was heaving, obviously in distress. Maka made a risky choice of placing a hand onto his cheek. He felt human, nonetheless. Maka dropped her sense of bravery and instead looked into him with concern.

"What happened to you?"

"Who-Who are you?"

Maka listened as his voice secretly begged for help. "It's Maka. The girl you used to talk to at the library Kid. Don't you remember?"

He slowly brought wildly curious eyes to face her figure. "Maka...?"

"Yes. It's me."

Kid made many awkward attempts to bring his hands to meet her face, but neither of them succeeded. He only tensed when he felt his hands embraced by her own. It wasn't normal.

"M-Maka." He faltered as he regained past memories which he had erased. His breath was caught in his chest, and panic quickly arose.

"Kid?" Maka felt him tremble. Those eyes were his, but they were washed over with fear. "What happened to you?"

'

"Maka!" Soul ravaged through the broken furniture.

He and the gang searched vigorously for their lost friend. The problem was that the dreaded mansion was completely insane.

"Soul we've looked everywhere. Maybe we should go upstairs."

Soul huffed out breaths of desperation. The fear of anything happening to them or Maka made him feel weak.

"Tsubaki's right dude. Let's check somewhere else."

Soul walked up the stairs and turned his gaze in all directions. The stairs broke off to both left and right.

"Split up?" Black*Star suggested.

"Are you crazy?! That's how the bad guy picks us off, one by one!" Soul angered. "We stick together. Now let's go left."

The gang followed him upstairs. Soul expected them to creek, but hearing low growls in place of normal wood creaking was something he wasn't aware that wood could do.

Nothing but fear consumed his mind. The thought that Maka wasn't in the manor in the first place pressed onto him. He supposed that the scream they heard was just a hallucination. If it was, Soul had brought his friends to their own deaths. But then again, maybe Maka was here. Finding her was just as agonizing as just being in the mansion to begin with.

"It's too quiet in here." Tsubaki whispered.

"Didn't your story say something about screams and all hell breaking loose?" Black*Star said with boredom in his tone.

Soul halted just at the base of the stairs. He didn't let his eyes meet his friends and instead glared down at their shoes. "It did. Tsubaki's right, it is too quiet in here. I'm afraid to know why."

Soul continued up the stairs. He looked down the hallway to his right. In retrospect, the house was much more tranquil here than on the main floor. Soul had no idea what to expect. It was way too quiet.

Black*Star passed him and trailed down the hallway.

"Hey slow down. We don't know what we're getting ourselves into." Soul placed a hand on Black*Star's shoulder.

"Soul are you scared or something? You do know if a ghost does show up, I can just kick its ass right?"

Soul frowned. "You can't kick somethin' that's dead. We're here to find Maka, before anything finds us."

"Uh you guys," Tsubaki spoke up.

Soul only faced her to see her point viciously up ahead. He and Black*Star slowly turned their heads down the hall.

There was a girl. A little blonde girl. She just stood there and glared back at them.

"Hey Soul?" Black*Star whispered.

"Y-Yeah?"

"Do human rules count for ghosts?"

"What do you mean?" Soul whispered back in confusion.

"I mean, can I kick her ass even if she's a little a girl?"

Soul kept his eyes fixed on the little girl as she just stood in the dim hallway without a single flinch. "Yeah I think you can… you know, if she doesn't get us first."

"Yeah…"

The two only stood there until the girl took a step forward and caused Tsubaki to shriek.

"Run!"

The three of them ran toward the other hallway and made a risky choice of locking themselves in a room.


	5. Chapter 5

Maka held Kid gently as she attempted to calm him. She wasn't sure how much comfort she could force on him for the time being, and only kept the lightest hug around him. She noted that Kid's features had relaxed. She watched as he hesitated to bring a hand to her face. His eyes were wild, but now endowed with a hint of calmness. They watched over her persistently, as if he was trying to tap into an old memory.

"I remember." Kid stroked one of Maka's pigtails. "We met at the library. Ever since that day we always went to meet with each other and talk about everything and anything. I remember."

Maka expected a different set of words for some reason. She wasn't a romantic but it couldn't be too hard to ask for right? Especially with the haunting scare that Kid had put her through. Though she relaxed to hear his subtle voice.

"I don't understand. Why are you here?" He asked.

"Why?" Maka decided to go on the offense. "Because you're "dead" and you left me without saying goodbye!"

Kid had no idea what to think or do. He hadn't had contact with another soul other than his family for two years. He had been passing off as a hollow body and haunted those who spread the rumor that he was dead. It wasn't true. Perhaps emotionally but not physically.

He made an awkward choice of lifting Maka's chin to meet his gaze. "I never meant... I didn't mean for you to... I'm sorry."

"Is that it? Sorry? Kid you're obviously alive! People think you're dead! And what's worse? You just haunted the living hell outta me you idiot!" Maka slammed a book atop the boy's head, her iconic attack move known as a Maka-Chop.

"Ow! Damn Maka that hurts!"

"Well then don't ever scare me again!"

Kid rubbed his head. He narrowed his eyes on Maka and couldn't hold back the smile that made its way on his face. "You were so brave though. It's beautiful."

 _Don't blush Maka. Do not blush!_

"T-Thank you. I think." Maka awkwardly rubbed her arm. But she then realized who she was talking to. That was the voice of the real Kid, the one she knew without a doubt. She guessed her Maka Chop did more than she intended.

"This is the real you."

Kid paid her a look of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, who am I talking to right now? The ghost boy, or Kid Death?"

Kid avoided any meeting with Maka's eyes and instead faced down at her feet. "I'm not sure honestly. I am not the Kid you once knew if that's what you are referring to."

Maka hastily caressed his cheek, though he tensed at her touch and instead took a step back.

"Well do you mind telling me why? What happened to you? Your face and the look. And the whole haunting people thing. Can you at least answer me that?"

Kid dropped any form of happiness that was in him and went over to slump at the piano bench. Maka took a spot next to him, rubbing his back in attempt to sooth him. Though he seemed to tense more than he originally was.

"The stories tell that my family was killed, that we murdered each other like mindless savages. People saw my father and his children like dark psychotics."

"Well typically, it isn't very "family friendly" to decorate your front yard with death machines."

Kid chuckled. "Yes I know. But it's all in the family name." Kid trailed his hands along the piano keys. "The truth of it all is, I'm not the one who died... My father did." Kid grimaced with those words.

Maka could see the tears he was fighting back. "Kid..."

"It's ok. I'm all right."

"All right? You've been hiding here ever since haven't you?" Maka grabbed his face in order to look at him. "Kid you need help."

"No I don't. I'm dead Maka. It doesn't matter anymore."

"You're not dead. People only think that because,-"

"Because my family is insane! That's why. How am I supposed to go back out there when all they do is desecrate my family name?! How?"

Maka found herself at a loss for words and was left staring at him in defeat.

"Maka I don't mean to hurt you. I would never do that intentionally. But I can't go back. I have to stay here."

"All alone, treating yourself as a demon who haunts people?!"

"You wouldn't understand!" Kid stood up from the bench and trailed to the window.

"Then let me understand." Maka stood on her feet and challenged him.

"I did this as an act of revenge Maka. The townsfolk wronged my family, they made my father seem like some sort of monster. He wasn't. It was all because of my older brother that our name was shattered. My father never meant for his own flesh and blood to go rogue. But that's how it happened. When my father... When he,-" Kid paused.

Maka wrapped her arms around the distressed boy and held him tightly. He dropped only the slightest of tears on her shoulder. It felt so good to let something out for once and not hold it all in. It felt good to have someone hold him, someone who he let himself fall for... It felt lovely now that she was here.

"I'm right here Kid. You don't have to hold back anything."

He swallowed back any tears that were on their way and took a breath. "You're the first person to be here you know." His voice, now tender, spoke right into her ears. "No one has ever made it this far in the house. Especially on Halloween."

"Yeah well, maybe that's because I planned to put a book to your skull the second you showed yourself."

Kid had a faint smile on. "I missed you. I give you my sincere apologies Maka. I never meant to hurt you." Kid held Maka tightly, resting his chin over her head as if he was protecting her from the days he had left her wandering for him. "Forgive me."

"I forgive you Kid. I forgive you."

Silence passed over them as they sat embraced in each other's arms. They had longed for each other irresistibly. As for Kid, he almost hated himself for nearly letting her go.

However their embrace was cut short when Maka jumped out of her skin at the creaking sound of a door opening.

Reason one was because she hadn't realized a door was in the room. Reason two was because she couldn't possibly think that anyone else was in the house.

Once Maka had the chance to look, she realized it was an older teenage girl. She had long light brown hair and blue orbs for eyes. She was too damn tall as well, much to Maka's agony.

"Liz. What are you doing?" Kid casually acknowledged the girl.

"I could ask the same question." She replied, switching her blue eyes from Kid to Maka as if it was the most foreign thing she had ever seen.

"She's an old friend." Kid cleared his throat. "That's all."

Liz seemed speechless as the seconds went by. Kid sighed and proceeded to explain. "She came here to find me, as we were once close friends and met every day. However I left because… You know."

"Kid what the hell is wrong with you? You never let anyone near you, or talk to you, or. What?"

Maka would've been humored by the girl's confusion if she herself hadn't realized how sorrowful Kid was. The poor soul needed a change, fast.

However the conversation quickly ended at that. The sound of horrified screams and the iconic laughter that both Liz and Kid recognized almost instantly, called for precise attention.

"What's going on Kid?" Maka asked.

"I take it that the visitors have arrived."

Liz crossed her arms and leaned against the door, giving Kid an enthusiastic smile. "You're really gonna scare your little girlfriend and let her see what you do for a living?"

Kid gave no answer.

Maka swallowed back an ounce of sudden fear. She noticed the emptiness that made its way back into his eyes… And Maka had no idea what to expect next.

* * *

 **GUESS WHO'S BACK?! Haha, miss me? Yeah probably. Well just like Kid said to Maka, I give you guys my sincere apologies. Fanfic hasn't been too heavy on my mind and writer's block and procrastination hit hard these last few months. But I am now back for good and I am kicking any distractions away because, I love writing and I need AND want to keep doing it.**


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